1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical disc reproducing apparatus capable of accommodating a single optical disc or a plurality of optical discs, selecting a specified optical disc, and reproducing information recorded on the optical disc.
2. Prior Art
In the conventional optical disc reproducing apparatuses, there are known types which include a disc changer in which a plurality of optical discs can be accommodated. A block diagram of an optical disc reproducing apparatus in the prior art is shown in FIG. 7. In FIG. 7, the optical disc reproducing apparatus comprises a mechanical unit 710 having an optical pickup unit 711, a signal processing unit 720 for demodulating data from signals detected by the optical pickup unit 711, an application block unit 730 for decoding a main video signal, a sub-picture signal and audio signals from data output from the signal processing unit 720, an output unit 740 for outputting decoded video signals and audio signals to external devices, a system controller unit 750 for controlling the operation of the optical disc reproducing apparatus, a user interface block unit 760 for operation and display, and a roulette block unit 770 for accommodating one or more optical discs, selecting a specified optical disc, and transferring the selected optical disc to the mechanical unit 710.
Description will be made of a program reproducing procedure of a conventional optical disc reproducing apparatus. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the program reproducing procedure of the conventional optical disc reproducing apparatus.
According to FIG. 6, the power supply to the optical disc reproducing apparatus is turned on (ST101). After the power supply is turned on, when the user instruction is received through the program entry mode button on the user interface block unit 760, the apparatus is set in the program entry mode (ST102), and the contents entered in the program are accepted (ST103). When information recorded on an optical disc is reproduced on the optical disc reproducing apparatus, the roulette block unit 770 transfers the optical disc to the mechanical unit 710, and the type of the optical disc specified by the reproduction program is detected to find whether the disc is a CD (Compact Disc) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) by a signal detected by the optical pickup. Unless the type of the optical disc is determined correctly, the information recorded on the optical disc cannot be read correctly (ST104). By reading disc information recorded on the optical disc, it is possible to decide whether the program-entered optical disc is a CD or a DVD. There is another way of deciding whether an optical disc is a CD or a DVD without reading disc information, an example of which is disclosed in JP 10-275407. In this prior art, in focus search of an optical disc, a shift in the focus position due to a difference in disc thickness is detected, and a decision is made whether the disc is a CD or a DVD.
In FIG. 6, after the type of an optical disc entered in the program is decided, the signal processing circuits are switched over from one circuit to another in accordance with the type of the optical disc, and the optical disc entered in the program starts to be reproduced (ST105)(ST106). When reproduction of the optical disc entered in the program is finished, the system controller unit 750 controls the roulette block unit 770 to rotate the roulette, and selects and reproduces the next program-entered optical disc. The subsequent procedure is a repetition of the above mentioned procedure (ST107)(ST108).
Meanwhile, some DVDs or CDs have an interactive function to make reproduction taken place by interaction between the operator and the reproducing apparatus. Among CDs, a CD-I (Compact Disc-Interactive media) is one such example, and among DVDs, there are some which have a multistory function. In the case of an optical disc with an interactive function, unless the operator presses an operation button on the user interface block unit 6, disc reproduction does not continue.
In the above-mentioned prior art, when an optical disc with such an interactive function is loaded, reproduction moves forward by interaction between the user and the reproducing apparatus, and therefore it often happens that the program enters a temporary halt state waiting for an instruction from the user, and reproduction remains stopped even though the program is supposed to be continuously reproduced. To preclude such a temporary halt, it is possible to make a setting so that when an optical disc with an interactive function is entered in the program, if a temporary halt occurs, reproduction on the optical disc at issue is not continued but a switchover is made to reproduction of the next program-entered optical disc. However, because the reproduction of the program-entered optical disc is terminated, the actual reproduction time becomes shorter than a total reproduction time set in the program. To take an example, when music played back on the optical disc reproducing apparatus is broadcast as BGM in a shop, if a track on an optical disc with an interactive function is entered in the program, this interactive optical disc is not reproduced, but the next program-entered disc is reproduced, and reproduction comes to an end earlier than the time that was planned, a fact which nobody notices and time passes without BGM. For this reason, the user has to manage the programmed reproduction by optical disc reproducing apparatus all the time, thus increasing a burden on the user.
To solve the above problem, the present invention has been made and has as its object to provide an optical disc reproducing apparatus capable of correctly reproducing program contents entered by the user by eliminating chances for the user to enter, in a reproduction program, information in optical discs having an interactive function or tracks that are not recorded on exist in the optical disc, when the user enters a reproduction program.
To achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, an optical disc reproducing apparatus capable of accommodating a plurality of optical discs and reproducing information recorded on an optical disc in a specified accommodation location, comprises disc detecting means for detecting a type of the optical discs to decide whether or not the disc can be entered in a program; disc type memory means for storing detection results of the disc detecting means associated with disc accommodation location information indicating disc accommodation locations of respective discs; accepting means for accepting an instruction to enter information recorded on the optical disc in the program to specify a reproducing order of the information; output means, when referring to the decision results stored in the disc type memory means, if the information specified by the instruction accepted by the accepting means is information recorded on an optical disc that cannot be entered in the program, for outputting a notification indicating that the information cannot be entered in the program.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, an optical disc reproducing apparatus capable of accommodating a plurality of optical discs and reproducing information recorded on an optical disc in a specified accommodation location comprises track number obtaining means for obtaining the largest track number of information recorded on the optical disc; disc track memory means for storing the largest track number obtained by the track number obtaining means associated with disc accommodation location information indicating disc accommodation locations of respective discs; accepting means for accepting an instruction to enter the track of information recorded on the optical disc in a program to specify a reproducing order of tracks; and output means for referring to the largest track number stored in the disc track memory means, and outputting a notification indicating that a track cannot be entered in the program when the track number of the track specified in the instruction accepted by the accepting means is larger than the largest track number.
According to the present invention, it is possible to correctly reproduce program contents entered by the user by eliminating chances for the user to enter, in a reproduction program, information in optical discs having an interactive function or tracks that are not recorded on the optical disc, when the user enters a reproduction program.